Bar for stringed instruments



A rit 29, 1924. 1,492,274

E. SULLIVAN BAR FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed July 14;, 1922 Patented Apr. 29, 1924. '7

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. Application m d July 14, 1922. Serial No. 574,966.

T 0 all whom it may concer'n:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SULLIVAN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Steubenville, in the county of Jefiersonand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bars. for Stringed Instruments, of which the followin is a specification.

y invention relates to a bar used for playing metallic string instruments, more particularly the Hawaiian guitar, and the object of the invention is to provide a guitar bar that will not wear the strings too rapproduce a more mellow sound idly and will on the guitar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guitar "bar of this character which has a. steel roller on one side and a straight edge of hard wood on the opposite side. In this manner a metallic sound will be produced when the roller is applied while a Figure 1 is a perspective view of a guitar with the device applied thereon;

b Fig. 2 is a perspective view of theguitar !Fig. ,3 is a section along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation; Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3, showing a slightly modified form of guitar bar provided with two rollers.

. The device consists of abody portion 10 preferably made of fibrous material and of rectangular shape with a thin uniform cross section. Onthe top of the body portion 10, as seen in the figures, is rigidly secured along theedge thereof, a strip 11 preferably made of hard wood, ebony being most suitable. The top edge of this strip 11 is rounded, while the sides and ends. merge into the corresponding sides and ends of the body portion 10 to form a solidconnection therewith. The body portion'is thickest just below the joint 12 between the same and the strip 11 and tapers slightly downwards as seen best in Fig. 3, terminating with a slightly hollowed out edge 13 at the bottom.

At each end of the body portion 10 is rigid] secured, by means of screws 14 or the li e, a bearing plate 15 in which is revolubly mounted a steel roller which engages with its journals or trunnions 17 in the bearing plates 15, so as to be freely revoluble below the hollowed out edge 13 of the body portion.

The length of the guitar bar is slightly greater than the width across the strings 18 of a guitar-'19 and when used the device is held transversely across the strings 18, see

Fig. 1, so as to contact with all of them when drawn upwards along the neck of the instrument. In case the edge of the device carrying the steel roller is applied to the strings, it will be evident that the roller will rotate as it is passed along the strings and in this manner avoid all scratching or scraping sounds and save the strings instead of wearing them out. Wrapped strings in particular are more liable to wear rapidly with the use of a solid guitar steel. By reversing the guitar bar and placing the hard wood edge against the strings, a more mellow and beautiful tone will be produced, so that in this manner the playing may be suited to the character of the music and the fancy of the player.

A slightly modified form of the guitar bar is shown in Fig. 5. A. steel roller 16 is, as already described carried along the lower, hollowed out edge of the bod portion 10. In this case, also the top edge of the body portion is hollowed out to accommodate a second roller 20 made of hard rubber, fiber or hard wood. This roller is also carried revolubly in the bearing plates secured to the ends of the body portion.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

' 1. As a new article of manufacture. a bar for stringed instruments consisting of a solid body of non-metallic material, said body being provided with a hard longitudinal edge rounded in transverse direction for contacting with the strings of the instrument. p p

2. As a new article of manufacture, a bar for stringed instruments said bar having a length suflicient to bridge across the strings and consisting of a solid body of non-metallic material, said bodybei'ng provided body and a straight hard wood strip intimately united with and extending along one longitudinal edge of said body, said strip having a transversely rounded edge.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EDWARD SULLIVAN. [n 5. 

